Chelsea have confirmed the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who has signed for Ligue 1 side Marseille permanently. Both Chelsea and Marseille did not reveal the amount paid for Aubameyang. 
Aubameyang unveiled as a Marseille player. Source: Getty This is the second time the 34-year-old Gabon international will be leaving the Premier League in 18 months, having spent four years at Arsenal from 2018 before joining Barca in January 2022. Aubameyang scored one goal in 15 Premier League appearances for the Blues last season and was left out of the squad for the Champions League knock-out stages by then-manager Graham Potter in February. He scored only three goals in his time at the club and they all came in October. His first Chelsea goal came against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, before back-to-back Champions League strikes against AC Milan. It’s been alleged that Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital were happy to hand Aubameyang a free transfer to get his wages off their outgoings. 
Aubameyang celebrating his goal for Chelsea. Source: Getty The Premier League giants will be relieved to make greater strides into boosting their position with FFP, the onus now on finding a buyer for Romelu Lukaku. As many as 12 of last season’s senior squad have now left Chelsea, and others will follow with Hakim Ziyech also out of Pochettino’s plans despite a move to Al-Nassr falling through. Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic has signed for Manchester City, Kai Havertz has joined Arsenal, and Mason Mount has moved to Manchester United, while goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and defender Kalidou Koulibaly have made the switch to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. N’Golo Kante has also moved to Saudi Arabia, joining Al-Ittihad, while midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic have joined AC Milan and former captain Cesar Azpilicueta is now an Atletico Madrid player. Aubameyang has previous experience in Ligue 1 having played for St Etienne for two years from 2011 and 2013 as well as loan spells with Dijon, Lille, and Monaco.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona player arrived Stamford Bridge in 2022 but has struggled to get a feature during matches. He was recently removed from Chelsea’s Champions League squad. In a recent report released by Standard Sport, it was gathered that Atletico and AC Milan were keen on signing him. However, the player who featured for Barcelona and Chelsea in the 2022-23 campaign couldn’t leave because of FIFA rules which prevent a player from representing more than two teams in the same season. 
A return to Camp Nou could have been put in place, with Aubameyang previously hitting 13 goals through 24 appearances for Barca, but the Liga outfit were unable to discuss a deal due to Financial Fair Play concerns. 
Earlier in the day, it was discovered that his name was omitted from Chelsea’s Champions League squad for their upcoming last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund. Chelsea’s coach, Graham Potter added January signings Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Joao Felix to the team, while new arrivals Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, and Noni Madueke didn’t make the cut. 
While Aubameyang’s Chelsea teammates played against Fulham in a match that ended 0-0, he was spotted in Milan with his family, going by an image his brother posted to Instagram. It is also unlikely that the 33-year-old footballer will get back in the team for their next fixture against West Ham on February 11. Chelsea will return to European action on February 15 when they travel to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund. The London team finished top of Group E with 13 points, ahead of AC Milan, Red Bull Salzburg, and Dinamo Zagreb. 
Aubameyang’s name was omitted from the list of players for Chelsea’s Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund. Three new signings for the club were added to the new list. This has led to speculation of a rift between him and Potter. Addressing reporters after the Premier League match against Fulham which ended 0-0, Potter stated that Aubameyang did nothing wrong. The Chelsea coach said; 
“I don’t think it’s going to be difficult because Pierre is a professional. He was the one that missed out, he’s done nothing wrong at all. We wanted to give David some time today. Whichever decision there was always going to be a debate. It was my decision, a tough decision. “Nothing bad against him I understand his disappointment but I’ve got a responsibility to make these decisions and articulate them to the player. He handled it well and trained well today… Yes [he can fit in the system], everything is up for grabs and needs to train like today. Everything is up for grabs.” Aubameyang has scored just three times in the 17 appearances he has made for the Blues since his arrival from Barcelona in September.